DIY is often associated with loud, fast music, raw energy, and an anti-authoritarian spirit. But the movement extends far beyond the sound. DIY is in the zines, patches, hand-painted backdrops, cartoons, comics, bedroom recordings, and yes—it’s in the movies, too. Filmmakers, like bands, have long embraced DIY ethics to create stories about rebellion, belonging, and the fight against systemic rot. The best of these films channel the noise, mess, and humanity of underground scenes around the globe.
Whether you’re already part of the underground or just peeking in from the outside, these fictional stories might serve as a gateway — or at the very least, a mirror to the kind of raw, unpolished beauty that defines DIY movement.
Here are 10 fictional movies that embody the DIY ethos and give the scene a cinematic voice.
Suburbia (1983)
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Spheeris, already entrenched in punk culture, wanted to portray the kids left behind by Reagan-era America. Many of the actors were real punks, adding to the authenticity. This gritty narrative follows teen runaways who squat in abandoned houses and form a makeshift punk family while facing societal backlash and violence.
Soundtrack picks: T.S.O.L. – “Wash Away”, The Vandals – “Legend of Pat Brown”, D.I. – “Richard Hung Himself”
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982)
Director: Lou Adler
Scriptwriter Nancy Dowd was determined to critique the music industry’s treatment of women. With real punks like Paul Simonon and Steve Jones in the cast, the story follows a fictional all-female punk band touring with sexist rockers. It explores media chaos, exploitation, and the emergence of a feminist punk voice.
Soundtrack picks: The Professionals – “Join the Professionals”, The Looters (fictional band) – “Professionals”, The Stains – “Waste of Time”
SLC Punk! (1998)
Director: James Merendino
Merendino based the story on his youth in Salt Lake City, combining satire and sincerity to reflect how punk shaped and failed him. Set in conservative 1980s Salt Lake City, the film follows two friends navigating disillusionment, rebellion, and the contradictions of punk identity.
Soundtrack picks: The Exploited – “UK 82”, Minor Threat – “Look Back and Laugh”, The Stooges – “1969”
Ex Drummer (2007)
Director: Koen Mortier
Based on a novel by Herman Brusselmans, Mortier channeled the rage and dirt of the Antwerp underground into a hyper-stylized punk opera. In this dark, absurd, and jarring cult film, a writer is recruited by three disabled musicians to play drums in a punk band. Their story moves from hilarious to tragic. One of the best soundtracks on the list too!
Soundtrack picks: Millionaire – “Champagne”, The Kids – “There Will Be No Next Time”, ISIS – “Grinning Mouths”
Control (2007)
Director: Anton Corbijn
Corbijn had photographed Joy Division and felt a personal connection. The story is adapted from Curtis’s widow’s memoir. The life of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis is portrayed in stark monochrome. Not a documentary, but a fictional dramatization with emotional weight and artistic precision.
Soundtrack picks: Joy Division – “Shadowplay”, “Transmission”, “She’s Lost Control”
Linda Linda Linda (2005)
Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita
Yamashita wanted to explore teenage sincerity without irony, imagining what might happen if a band was built from scratch with no plans, just willpower and curiosity. In this gentle and emotionally rich film, a group of girls forms a band to cover Japanese punk songs ahead of a school festival.
Soundtrack picks: The Blue Hearts – “Linda Linda”, “Owaranai Uta”, film’s cover version of “My Right Hand”
We Are the Best! (2013)
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Based on the graphic novel by Coco Moodysson, the director’s wife, this film draws from their experiences with punk as a tool of empowerment. It follows three 13-year-old girls in 1980s Stockholm who form a punk band despite lacking any musical training or permission.
Soundtrack picks: The film’s original song “Hate the Sport” is a DIY anthem. Also: Ebba Grön – “800°”, The Knife – “Heartbeats”
Rudderless (2014)
Director: William H. Macy
Macy wanted to explore grief through art and how music can become a lifeline. A grieving father discovers his late son’s music and forms a band to process the loss. Though more indie-folk, the basement rehearsals and emotional storytelling align with DIY music-making values.
Soundtrack picks: “Over Your Shoulder”, “Sing Along”, “Stay With You” — all written for the film and performed by Billy Crudup
Noise and Resistance (2011)
Directors: Lisa Selby & Julia Ostertag
The directors were embedded in radical leftist communities and wanted to record and reimagine resistance. Though documentary in parts, it dramatizes experiences, giving it a hybrid feel. The film travels through squats and collectives in Europe, featuring crust punks, anarcho-feminists, and squatters resisting capitalism through art.
Soundtrack picks: Lost World – “This World Burns”, Inner Terrestrials – “Boundaries”, The Restarts – “Independentzia”
This World Won’t Break (2019)
Director: Josh David Jordan
Jordan wrote the film around local musicians and wanted to showcase the beauty of people doing art without support or recognition. A Texan blues-punk musician, broke and broken, tries to make sense of art, addiction, and identity in a city that doesn’t care. A slow-burning DIY indie with lo-fi texture.
Soundtrack picks: Film features original songs like “Cigarette Smoke” and “Hope” by Greg Schroeder. Also: Townes Van Zandt – “Waitin’ Around to Die”
What links these films isn’t just the sound or setting, but attitude — an unwavering belief that you don’t need permission to create, to express, or to resist. These stories echo what it means to build something from the ground up, to scream your truth even if nobody’s listening, and to find family not in blood but in shared struggle.
They remind us that DIY is more than a genre or scene — it’s a way of life. These films give us a window into that life, whether through squat houses in LA, school halls in Japan, or basement gigs in Texas. They’re love letters to imperfection, persistence, and power from the margins.
Honorable mentions go to the more comedic and theatrical interpretations of DIY and band life — School of Rock, Heavy Trip, Deathgasm — each a riot in its own right. But for those looking to feel the grit, hear the distortion, and live the fight, the ten films above are essential viewing.
